You Owe It All To Me
by latinisdead
Summary: Set in season 5, what really travels through Carol's mind when she blows up Terminus and the reunion. You will see a lot o Caryl and all the Characters will have a bit part. I technically think that they fell in love around the 3/4 season break. Reviews and comments are always welcome.
1. Part one

_AN: We have many versions of inside Daryl's mind when it comes to the Terminus hug and reunion with the Grimes and Sasha/Tyreese. This was originally a one shot, but I will work a few chapters into this fic about Carol and Daryl and why I think they were lovers well before the prison fell. More details on that in the next chapter. This is a 3 or 4 part story, setting in the 5 season. I think I will set this to T ratings for now, I may end up moving it to M for sexual content._

Blood! It courses through her veins pushing her on knowing that she was still alive. It fuels her fire, sending her on a mission and only one outcome would need to be. She sends off warning shots directly into the propane tank. Diversions for the walkers, a one chance deal because she knew timing was everything to execute this plan. She hadn't expected the explosion to reverberate through her soul. Carol's ears still heard the ringing from the explosion an hour after she had found out what Terminus really was. No Sanctuary. No salvation. No return and no way out.

She knew the idea of finding her friends, and family alive were slim to none. Yet, she had to try. She didn't get the answers out of that woman who was now consumed by the Walkers. She didn't feel conflicted for her actions on people who murders others just for – for what, she could smell it, thick, blood in the air as she finds another room and stops fully at the sight before her. Human remains were in bins and she covers her mouth now with the horrors seen by her own eyes. "Either you're the butcher or you're the cattle."

She shoots down anyone or Walkers as she pushes through the throng of people. Screaming rang though her ears and she stabilizes and regains her balance, hoping that the ringing will subside soon.

Her lungs burn from the lack of oxygen as the black smoke fills the air causing her to take it slower as she rounded the corner heading towards the fenced treeline. That's when she had a little ray of hope as she catches Rick with an unfamiliar redheaded male toe the line as they disappear beyond the fallen fence as the herd swarms in after them.

She moves on finding a break in the line of the Herd as she heads to the fence, and tosses first the crossbow, then her guns and nimbly climbs over the fence about a hundred feet from where the others were, or hoped to find them.

Muscles spasms crippling her as every part of her body burns in pain. With her lungs heaving heavy she pushes on tracking her own footsteps back to the place where she slayed the gray dead walker guts and brain matter littered the ground. She slips off her poncho caked in walker guts and blood, then cleans herself up best she could still the stench permeates her senses.

Her timid steps were barely heard over the voices of the group arguing over going back or fleeing. With a nervous eye she scans them; Daryl, stood there, his back turned, leaning on a tree biting his bottom lip keeping silent. He knows those steps he's heard them a thousand times, her gait, how silent she could actually be. A broken man turns lips quivering holding back tears.

Her trepidation dissipates the very moment he broke into a run and pulling her into a hug that nearly knocks them over. His arms in cases her body fully, pulling her into him harder and lifting her off the ground. Her ear hears his trembling voice as he sobs out three small words that mean the world to her. "Oh my God." her arms in cases him fully even though she could feel the muscles scream in pain. He was home, in her arms, pulling her into him once again before she releases him. His face said it all, sorrow, exhaustion, humility, and love as he falls into her shoulder weeping her fingers pulls him by his head, holding just a bit longer, as she rubs her face with her fingers not wanting to kiss, but felt the very need to touch as he finally backs away that's when she notices Rick for the first time.

She reaches for Rick after he asks in a hoarse voice. "Did you do that?" she nods with a quivering smile and he pulls her head into his holding her tightly against him. Rick thanks her embracing her a little bit more until she felt the need to pull back.

Her eye follows the treeline counting faces, most familiar, and a few new ones and her eyes crinkle at the sight faces that weren't there noticing no Beth or Hershel, her heart sank knowing they were gone.

Finding her voice it was rough and dry from the fire and smoke. "You need to follow me."

The group spread out, walking and silence spoke for them. Daryl does pull Carol aside she couldn't look at him but hands his crossbow over he takes it their fingers connect crossing over holding on. No words were needed as he looks at her still unable to understand how she knew.

Her voice sounded different to her, "Rick, over the hill, there's a single cabin."  
The smell of rotten corpses burning, thick black smoke billows up into the cloudless sky. Terminus behind them but not forgotten as they kept their wits about them.

Daryl's gaze kept on Carol the whole time they walk in silence allowing Rick to see his daughter in the arms of Tyreese. Another family reunion; Carl and Rick run towards Judith, as Sasha runs and connects with her brother. She didn't save them, they saved her. Carol held back tears, mainly of joy, yet sorrow hung there like a noose around her throat, she gulps it down watching standing beside Michonne.

Her ears, they rang still. Echoes of the screams fill her head not able to shake the uneasiness inside of her.

Her hands trembled. Her face stayed somber. She glances at the new faces but they all remain silent. Glenn does try to introduce but steps back once he saw her sidestep away.

He knows her, knows that look, hunted and defeated. With a hand he takes her, and she does follow him away from the rest of the group.  
"You ok?" Daryl eyes stays on hers.

Nods, but answers him verbally, "Ringing in my ears. I think I damaged them."  
"It will get better." He reassured her.

"I hope so." She agrees.

He pulls her into a warm embrace his lips against her ear. "It will."

She felt him try, and she smiles for the first time deep down that girl he knew back on Hershel's farm was still there.

They do agree to move on.

Teams were made to collect water, food and rotating watch.

Secrets and lies the whole team had them. Something was off. He saw it in Carol's eyes. Eyes were glassy, and wide, full of sorrow and grief. He stares at her until finally she feels him burning a hole in the back of her head.

She said it, "I don't want to talk about it." That was all she needed to say. He knew her. He would wait. And she knew him he wouldn't press into that week alone in the woods.

Then she spoke up again saying it just once. "Rick owes it all to me."  
 **End of part 1**


	2. Part two

**AN: Folks asked me to write something with Tara in it. Here you go. This is another little piece, but I like to think these short pieces through before I just write it. Enjoy and please feel free to add comments or reviews. I need feed back on this one. I am certain 3 or 4 more parts. This wasn't as long as I wanted it to be.**

 **Part 2**

Part of her wanted to leave, and the other part was happy to stay. Privacy with a dozen folks was hard to find, so she agreed to take the nightshift on watch and does. She leans against the old pine tree still with pent up high raw energy, as she rocks to keep her body warm as the wind picks up... Her head turns to look back, hand at the hilt of her blade ready to strike. She stiffens up once Tara makes herself seen and known.

"Hey. I'm Tara." She holds out one of her hands. In the other was a thermos full of coffee.

Carol only nods avoiding the handshake,

"Can I sit on watch with you?" Tara pours a cup, hands one to Carol a small peace offering, and Carol took it.

If Tara didn't have great eyes she would have missed the slight lift of Carol's shoulders with a shrug. She does, angling herself far enough to see the outline of the forest floor and to look at Carol's face while they talked. "Sorry, it's instant, Sanka."

They sat in uncomfortable silence. Tara then talks quietly. "I met Glenn…" her voice fades.

"I know I saw the whole thing happen."

"Yeah – I guess you did." Tara wraps her long arms around her long legs hugging herself keeping warm in the cool night air with the coffee cooling forgotten in the cool night air.

"Are you with the other three strangers?" Carol's head now turns to face the young woman.

"Nu-huh" her head shakes, "I didn't know who he was, or what he was."

Carol eyes watered at the very loss of Hershel, he was Rick's mentor, his friend and more importantly family." Whatever happened happened – don't blame yourself, the Governor was a sociopath that you didn't know. He would have attacked us regardless.'

"I lost my sister and niece that day." Tara didn't shy away from the truth. "He killed them knowing how weak they really were."

"They were already dead."

"How so?"

"Anyone surrounding him was a pawn in his game. He thought he had the advantage point, more men, more guns, and a lot more power. He splits them up, it weakened him and his men, resulting many slaughtered that day."

Tara's mind flashes back to the day he brought out the chessboard for Megan to learn. "Damn."

"Again, it wasn't your fault."

"I know I just need to say I am sorry."

Carol acknowledges it with a firm head nod. "Thanks for the coffee." She tips the contents to her mouth; it was terribly gross, but warm.

They remain like this for the rest of their shift.

She was up since sunrise, escaping wasn't far from her mind. Daryl follows in the quake of her steps biting his bad torn up nail pondering how to speak to her. Her silence grew. It was a strangle hold on his heart. They had something, now it's gone. Carol didn't look up or at him but she knew he was there always in her line of sight. But her mouth thins out piercing and drawn in. This troubled Daryl as he watches her fill the water jugs while they took a time out at the stream. Her watches her face as the depression deepens the lines in her face aging her. She was still beautiful. Hardened from her experiences, yet when alone that's when he saw her crack allowing the tears to flow silently while she uncaps the first of many water jugs to refill.

Solace, it was hard to find when you're with a large group like this. Even at the prison they had privacy curtains, and it worked. No one seemed to get in the way or found themselves they all had jobs to do. She took the liberty to find the stream nearby and fill the water jugs. Maybe even a chance to wash up removing the stench of walker guts that still clung to her skin. She found covered area in the shade, not that it was warm as she recalls winter was upon them. She sits on a mossy rock setting the jugs down one by one. Oh, how she wished to soak her tired blistered feet in the cool stream, but priorities came first to fill each water jug. That's how it was now, always on alert, always ready and if you weren't and caught it was matter of life or death. She fills the first jug setting it aside.

"Daryl, come sit with me." She calls out to him.

"Take it the ringing stopped." He steps up beside her and sits down with an inch of space between them.

"Yep, I can hear Glenn and Maggie go to town." She laughs.

He adds a chuckle just to see her smile. "You ain't alone hearin' it."

His fingers brushes hers, his callused ones whispers lightly across her soft hand, his lifts them to his lips and ghosts a kiss across them. Daryl felt his cheeks flush crimson, as he then pulls away his voice low so no other would hear. "I missed ya."

Her voice matching his tone and she holds his face with her hands. "Me too."

"I wanna kiss you." He cocks his head to the right adjusting his vision as the sun now jets through the tall trees blinding him. "Please."

With the water jugs forgotten, she angles to face him fully, moving so she can see his eyes and nods. "You don't have to ask."

"Yeah, I did, you avoided the kiss yesterday when I hugged ya hard, I just wondered if I did somethin' wrong."

"Fear set in seeing everyone, strangers, it wasn't you. So, what are you waiting for?"

She felt his cracked dried lips pressing against hers softly allowing her to set the pace and when she does, she deepens it, she pulls him in closer by the back of his neck, and felt the thrum of his pulse quicken under her touch. His whiskers tickles her chin when she sinks into the kiss, lips parting, tongue darts over her teeth, and his teeth nips her bottom lip a shiver courses through her body which he felt though his connecting hands which held her waist tightly under the cool golden light.

He breaks the seal with a sideways smirk, the one just for these special moments.

Home! He was home she meets his smile with a cocky one knowing that they both felt different after their separation.

Voices heard loud over the sound of the rippling water and birds chirping in the area. Daryl pulls Carol down and out of sight, armed and ready to fight the intruders.

"Are you sure you saw her go this way?"

It was Glenn and Maggie- no Tara talking.

"She said she would be back within an hour – that was two hours ago."

His back was to the couple still hiding in the bushes, both low enough that they couldn't be spotted.

"Look, Rick means what he says, we stick together, we're family – you are one of us now."

"Dude, relax, she couldn't have gotten far."

Glenn moved a little bit Tara's face came into view.

"Rick may think so. Rick owes her everything. We don't leave her behind."

Carol's fingers sink into Daryl's bicep as she listens to their private conversation biting back a set of tears, she hadn't really thought of leaving it still rolled around inside her head.

"Well, I saw her with her pack, everything, including her guns."

"I am afraid of that. Rick said she was very hesitant in accepting us with her."

Their voices fall silent for a couple of second or longer then Tara's voice breaks the eerie silence.

"She would just leave, why?"

"Why, why not, she lost a lot more than anyone else in this camp."

"Do you think Daryl would just let her go?"

Glenn sighs, "He'd do anything for Carol."

"I get it I've lost a lot too."

"No, you don't get it. Not like her, not like Carol, she lost everything, Daryl lost so much too – he was there for her since the beginning."

He waits for a second and continues on, "You haven't actually been there. Until you seen your child turn – Rick, he couldn't save her, had her in his hands and when she came out of that barn, it was on him. He had to put her down. Rick, he couldn't do what Carol did for him. So, for that we owe her."

Tara wipes away fallen tears, sniffling she nods, "I had no idea."

"Now you do, it stays here."

Glenn turns facing them knowing all along where they were. He didn't want to interrupt what he saw knowing it was difficult to find a private spot and he winks at them turning his back once again and pulls on Tara's arm away from them.

Daryl frowns as Carol stood there smiling. They knew everyone was aware of them together, but not one would ever talk or gossip about them.

"Now, I truly think she went this way."

"But you're not a good tracker."

"No, I am not, Daryl though is, and he'll find her. Come on."

As they pull away Tara's questions him. "Are they like doing it; because that hug back at Terminus was really hot?"

"It truly was. Now, off the record, they are something, and we don't mention it."

"Right, unlike you and Maggie." She teases him. "Damn, couldn't you wait at least one night?"

He blushes.


End file.
